It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on BLACKHAND, who has since taken a break from his famous matchstick creations to focus on less flammable projects. His latest work isn’t as grand as the others but it’s definitely going to interest you if you enjoy playing racing games on your mobile phone. Using pieces…

There’s rarely worse pain in life than stepping on a stray LEGO block (and I speak from experience). First-world problems, right? Yet, it’s sad so many floors are littered with LEGOs. We could blame the kiddos, but… we buy the LEGOs, encourage their imagination and, dogonit, there’ll be time to have a clean house after…

We may not all have a complete scientific understanding on how radio frequency identification (RFID) works, but we do know it plays an integral role in how our credit and debit cards transmit data, and includes our passports and driver’s licenses. Should someone happen to use an RFID scanner without your knowledge, they can easily…

With months of self-isolation getting to him, YouTuber The Q thought it would be a good idea to buy a pair of Nike Air Force shoes. He must not have thought too far ahead however, because now he has a new pair of shoes with nowhere to run. What’s one to do? Recreate the same…

Software company nTopology has announced a hefty Series C funding round set to accelerate its offerings of engineering design tools for advanced manufacturing. The $40 million round is led by Insight Partners and joined by Grant Verstandig and existing venture partners Root, Canaan, DCVC, and Haystack. Insight Partners’ Josh Fredberg is joining the nTopology Board…

For some, using a CNC machine may be an intimidating skill. If you don’t have access to one or someone who knows how to use one – nevermind the cost of most commercial CNC machines – it’s difficult to know where to start. Fortunately, desktop CNC machines are becoming more prevalent. The CNC ONE is…

If you’ve never watched a Studio Ghibli movie before, stop what you are doing and watch one now. From ever-popular classics like My Neighbor Totoro to the most recent 2014 release When Marnie Was There, the distinct art style, animations, and methods of storytelling are wholly unique and what I like to call, “classic Disney…

I bumped into a 3D print accessory I’d never heard of, and think it’s a pretty good idea. The accessory is “Plastic Repellent Paint”, distributed by Slice Engineering. They are a reseller of unusual components for 3D printing since 2017, and their product line consists of a few exotic hot ends, replacement parts, accessories, and…

It seems that Creality is developing a belt-driven 3D printer, and that has several implications. Creality is well-known for producing several very popular and inexpensive desktop 3D printers that have gained lasting places in the community. The CR-10 was perhaps their first big hit, followed by the immensely successful Ender 3. Most recently they updated…

While most people remember the Nintendo Game Boy as one of the first portable game devices, they tend to forget the number of peripherals you could attach to it: a modded backlight to illuminate the screen, a Game Link Cable to connect two or more Game Boys together, the list of accessories goes on and…

MakerBot announced a new service called MakerBot CloudPrint, which is intended to deliver a seamless 3D printing experience to clients. MakerBot Print Up to now MakerBot 3D printer operators would use MakerBot Print to prepare and schedule jobs for attached MakerBot devices. That tool has been around for several years, and it’s proven to be…

For those who are only familiar with its Minecraft counterpart, obsidian is a volcanic glass formed when lava cools so quickly that a crystalline structure is unable to form. It isn’t terribly hard to find either, so maker Patrick Adair decided to combine his love of Minecraft with his love of making things to craft…

Without a doubt, if ever a virtual reality was needed, 2020 is it. With the insanity of social distancing, self-isolation, and tyrannical mandates looming, it’s important to get your exercise and stay healthy. With that, we need equally ridiculous, yet helpful products to make lockdowns bearable. While you SHOULD just GO OUTSIDE for a walk…

Or rather, for a sports car, but it’s a start. As of the moment, Porsche has succeeded in 3D printing production-grade pistons for the engine of their newest 911 sports car, the 911 GT2 RS. Now you might wonder why Porsche didn’t try putting 3D printed pistons on a vehicle with less demanding speed capabilities.…

You’ve spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on it, but have you ever wondered about what goes on inside your car whilst you’re driving it? Thanks to modern technology, Matt Mikka of Warped Perception helps answer at least ONE question mechanics and drivers have pondered: “Just what happens inside a car tire while it’s…

There’s now at least one new app that takes advantage of Apple’s new LIDAR capability. A few months ago Apple unexpectedly announced a new iPad Pro model equipped with LIDAR. LIDAR is a range-sensing technology that is often used in high-end equipment for 3D scanning, particularly for landscapes. Seeing it appear in an affordable consumer…

For those of you who don’t have the free time to play them, Cuphead is a side-scrolling, run-and-gun videogame created by StudioMDHR for the Xbox One and PC back in 2017. Heavily inspired by old 1930s cartoons, the game is famous for its hand-drawn animations, authentic watercolor backgrounds, and jazz music. To commemorate the game’s…

The tour of this makerspace just outside Denver and Boulder, Colorado took place in September 2019, long before COVID-19 flipped spaces like these on their heads. However, as of today, TinkerMill is open for business, albeit with several precautions in place. Take a peek inside this massive, and well-equipped space in the video below with…

Arkansas-based AMBOTS is developing a concept called “Swarm 3D Printing”, describing themselves as “an advanced manufacturing company with a focus on swarm 3D printing and assembly” that will bring us “the next manufacturing revolution.” “This technology aims to automate manufacturing with a swarm of smart and autonomous mobile robots, from everyday products to houses and…

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a method of using holography in 3D printing. Holography is an optical method of producing and recording a three-dimensional light field by using multiple light sources to create an interference field. You’ve likely seen holograms from time to time; they are those strange images that suddenly burst…

“If you want something to stand out, the best way to do so is to light it up like a Christmas tree.” Creators Ollie Hanton, Michael Wessely, Stefanie Mueller, Mike Fraser, and Anne Roudaut have taken this idea to heart and crafted a method to add light on any surface using a unique electroluminescent coating.…

Today I’m looking at a 3D printer I had not seen before, the Incus Hammer Lab35. Incus Background Incus is a spin off of Austria-based Lithoz, who have done very well with their line of ceramic 3D printers. Now it seems they’ve leveraged their expertise to produce a metal 3D printer that is capable of…

Already bored of his Formula 1 wheel-equipped hoverboard and walking bicycle, YouTube creator The Q’s newest vehicular project is a monowheel made entirely out of wood. I’ll be honest… I want to build one. In his latest video, he shows us just how he managed to create a driveable wheel which can hold a single…

Even if you don’t have the best poker face, you know there’s a lot of fun to be had with playing cards. You can use them as bookmarks, fling them into open hats, or with your card-flicking accuracy, pelt your friends with a ninja-flurry of hearts, spades, and clubs. While DIY YouTuber BLACKHAND’s new card…

Researchers at UC Davis have developed an unusual new form of 3D printing that uses Droplet-Based Multiphase Emulsion. One of the big challenges in 3D printing is the inability to handle multiple materials. Typical 3D printers of today can 3D print a single material at a time, with certain more advanced models being able to…

Here’s a question for all us maker types. “Is it possible to both cut and sand a piece of material simultaneously using a common table saw?” Having pondered the question himself, John Heisz on his Youtube channel I Build It could not hold back his curiosity any longer! He set out to give us all…

A new online service has emerged that hopes to guide 3D printer operators to better printing parameters: 3DOptimizer. FabControl SIA, the producers of 3DOptimizer, seems to be a spinoff from well-known 3D printer manufacturer Mass Portal. Their claim to fame was being able to achieve 3D prints of astonishing quality, so there’s definitely skill present.…

We’ve all been there before: your package arrives in the mail and you have nothing to open it with. It’s times like these we reach for the closest sharp object in the vicinity: a pair of scissors, a letter opener, an untrimmed fingernail. In my case? You guessed it. A Swiss Army knife. However, the…

Unlike skateboarding, rollerblading, or cycling, the art of surfing relies heavily on… ya know, water, and waves in the water. No waves = no surf. But what if you didn’t need to wait for the high tide to kick in? What if you could just ride your board whenever you wanted to? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY8B8-NeQfY The Waterwolf…

Woodturning wood, metal, and plastics are interesting and amazing in and of itself. From bowls in bowls to a cherry burl egg, the possibilities are endless. But who would have thought of woodturning a stack of colored straws into a vase? Well, the Wood Workshop is who. And they captured the entire, fascinating process that…

Wood carving is, in and of itself, an art form. It takes a lot of time and effort to turn a chunk of wood into something functional, let alone beautiful. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think we can all agree this accurate scale wood carving of a Toyota…

Next to Iron Man’s repulsors and Spider-Man’s web shooters, the most iconic piece of equipment in the Marvel universe has to be Wolverine’s adamantium claws. More a part of his anatomy than actual weapons, these claws (three on each hand) have varying origins. In some forms of media, Wolverine has adamantium claws grafted onto his…

Rise up from that pile of 45x45mm high-precision extruded aluminum for a moment and pay attention. Vention has announced a $38M CAD ($28.1M USD) series-B financing round to spread its cloud-based machine-building bliss far and wide. This brings their funding total to $58.5M CAD ($43.4 USD) since their first Seed Round in 2018. The funding…

Recently, we covered how commercial vinyl records are made by a processing plant. However, what if you could make your own records from the comfort of home? Eager to go vintage vinyl and migrate more music from digital to analog, Seth Nicholas Johnson of Haunted Birthday Records shows an easy way to make homemade records:…

The idea of parallel 3D printing is incredibly powerful. The rap against 3D printers has long been that they are monumentally slower than traditional manufacturing equipment to produce finished units, even though they are able to make objects of any design on the next print job. This slowness has sometimes been the reason for not…

Back in the day, the best way to make an injury-induced wheelchair ride cooler was to either paint the chair or slaps stickers all over it (it’s a fact that hotrod flames make a wheelchair go faster). Nowadays, however, you have options, including one that’s able to take you just about anywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwXMJ6WiUOs The Ziesel…

If you happen to own stock in Nano Dimension, it’s definitely your lucky week, as the price quadrupled after a surprise announcement.  The company announced a breakthrough in its technology that will be of significant interest to the industry. Nano Dimension produces equipment to 3D print circuit boards. While circuit boards are essentially 2D structures,…

Remember those ridiculous abominations on wheels in the mid to late 2010s called “hoverboards”? Oh, what’s that? They’re still around? *Shakes head* So you remember they don’t actually hover? I know, it’s 2020. Where are our priorities? To poke fun (we think) at the wheeled monstrosities, YouTuber The Q creates a monstrosity of his own.…

There’s are a couple of reasons why computer keyboards are made from plastic and not wood. 1) Wood doesn’t lend itself to mass manufacturing like plastic does and 2) the amount of abuse and hand oils absorbed by the wooden keys would wear faster than the myth of George Washington’s wooden teeth. But that won’t…

Miele, the high-end German manufacturer of consumer goods, now offers downloadable 3D models for printing. The company produces a wide array of top-notch consumer products, including vacuums, stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, wine coolers, dishwashers, coffee makers, and much more. Last year their revenue exceeded €4B, making them one of the largest producers of appliances…

I don’t know what you think when you hear of small prints that can expand to 40x their size, but my first thought is JACKETS. Thousands of little jackets printed, stored, and expanded with heat when I need a new one. Just think, unlimited jackets. Of course, there are some other applications like, oh, let’s…

VELO3D announced the availability of a new alloy of aluminum for use in their Sapphire series of metal 3D printers. The California company has been quietly developing new materials for the Sapphire system, which recently gained a new, tall option. The stretch version of the Sapphire 3D printer sports a 1m tall build volume, and…

Stratasys has dropped a full-color 3D printed bombshell with the introduction of the new J55 3D Printer that combines a number of features in a printer that’s sized and priced for small and medium design and engineering business. The J55 is a full-color 3D printer with a rotating build platform, stationary head, odor-free operation, native…

Created by Alexey Pajitnov and released in 1984, the original Tetris video game was never meant to be analog. Featuring endless falling blocks that would dissolve once a solid horizontal line was formed, you can only imagine how difficult it would be to translate the game into a world where things don’t just disappear. So,…

In these tough times, people are scrambling to stay healthy and safe. Naturally, this means staying at home. But when necessity (i.e. the need for groceries) calls, there’s no other choice but to go out and brave the crowds in order to get what you need. But how can you get your supply of face…

I thought I’d heard all I needed to know about 3D printed corals some years ago, but I was wrong. Some years ago, D-Shape, a then-emerging construction 3D printer manufacturer, demonstrated a way to 3D print coral reefs using their concrete printing process. Essentially they developed a rough design for a coral-like concrete structure, then…

If you’re cooped up for the weekend with naught to do, here’s a simple experiment in electromagnetism you can make with your quarantine buddies/family using a couple of neodymium magnets, some copper wire, and a AA battery. While you’re at it, use it to teach the kiddos about the wonders of electromagnetism™. Let’s watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1MDOerruDU…

The biggest problem with glow-in-the-dark and other types of luminous paints are how they lose their luminescence over time. With exposure to sunlight and the inevitable passage of time, these paints eventually lose their ability to project colors in the dark, eventually turning it into just another streak of dull paint. Instead of giving the…

I’ve bumped into a very interesting technique that could save an enormous amount of support material and 3D printing time. Support structures are an inevitable aspect of 3D printing: some geometries are simply not capable of being printed without support for overhangs exceeding the threshold of your device. Typically this ranges from 45 to 60…

For those unfamiliar with the term, “hydro dipping” is a unique form of graphics application that allows you to apply a hydro film to a 3-dimensional object. The Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) film, floating on the surface of a water tank, wraps the object as it is dipped into the tank. Much like you would with…